Fujifilm F550 EXR 16MP Digital Camera

On first impressions, I found the design and build extremely desirable. It felt solid and well built and the rubber finger grip made it feel really reassuring to hold.

Features

Looking at it’s features, I was particularly impressed with the 15 x optical zoom offering a focal range of 24-360 mm as well as a 16.1 mega pixel resolution. This offered plenty of detail in my photos although some did appear a little soft in post production, however this is not surprising for a compact camera.

Maunal Settings for Maximum Control

As an SLR owner, I was pleased to find the manual mode settings as well as AV and TV priority modes, allowing me more control over my pictures which is surprising for a compact camera. The ability to record images as raw files is a great feature for post editing and another attribute I would normally only expect to find on an SLR camera.

EXR Technology

This camera uses EXR technology making it extremely capable in low light conditions which is great for me as I do take a lot of indoor shots where the lighting is poor. It also enable you to capture fast action shots without the worry of motion blur.

VGA Resolution

As well as that, high speed VGA resolution during recording meant my video capturing was of high quality, although the zooming options during filming made focusing a little inaccurate at times.

18 Scene Settings

Amongst the many features on this camera are an impressive 18 modes of scene shooting, letting you choose an appropriate one for your environment, so you don’t have to worry about getting the settings right in a hurry.

Advanced Controls

There are 3 advanced shooting modes, including motion panorama, which lets you take panoramic shots from 120 degrees through to 360 degrees in one action. A really neat feature and very easy to use!

Then there is the pro focus option which helps you during portrait shots, ensuring focus on your subject and defocus on the background is achieved for a really impressive photo.

Lastly, the pro low light option which takes a series of shots in low light conditions and combining them to produce a final image that contains less noise. I didn’t find the quality of the photos that impressive in post editing though.

Built in GPS

The GPS is an interesting feature, allowing you to keep your photographs geographically tagged for future reference. I think this is a really smart feature however, constant use did drain the battery more quickly so personally, I would only use this on an occasional basis.

Image Stabilisation & Film Simulation

Other features worth mentioning which really helped me gain some fantastic shots were image stabilisation for minimal blurring and film simulation styles for added creativity.

Macro Settings

The macro mode is truly superb. I was able to get as close as 1cm away from my subject which was fantastic for my botanical photos, allowing me to get some really vivid shots of flowers and their details.

Pros

Cons

focusing during filming is a bit hit and miss

low light setting doesnt add much improvement

Verdict

Overall, I found this F550 an excellent rival amongst its compact competitors. It offers a great expanse of features, a stylish look, easy to use modes, and super quick focusing to help gain some exceptional photos and all at a pretty competitive price for its many attributes.

I would recommend this camera for keen photographers and travel enthusiasts alike who have high expectations from a compact camera.

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